Everything Shetland

Wu’s Diagnosis

I have been wanting to write this since Wu died as I am asked whether Loki finally got our beloved and much mourned Wu.

He didn’t. I promise you he definitely didn’t.

I received a lovely card from my vet saying that “the pathology was most likely that of a haemangiosarcoma of the spleen”.

From PetMD – “Hemangiosarcomas are fed by the blood vessels and fill with blood. Because of this, the tumor can rupture, leading to sudden and severe hemorrhage, collapse, and rapid death. Often, owners do not realize their cat is affected until the sudden hemorrhage or collapse.

Hemangiosarcomas of the spleen and liver are highly metastatic and malignant vascular neoplasms (blood vessel tumors) that arise from the endothelial cells, which line the interior surface of blood vessels. It begins as a large mass that develops in the liver or spleen, spreading rapidly through the blood cell routes, most frequently to the liver from the spleen, or to the lungs from the spleen and liver.”

I asked my vet over and over again, in as many ways as I could think of, if there was absolutely any evidence of bruising or any trauma to Wu and I was promised that there was none and this horrid disease had nothing to do with Loki.

There was nothing more we could do and I am glad he passed away peacefully and without half the symptoms listed in PetMD.

This is the first time since 1986 I have ever lived in a house without a cat(s). I find it very difficult but while Loki is with us, there will be no more cats, kittens or puppies. It would not be a wise decision.

But this time, Loki was not to blame.

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10 thoughts on “Wu’s Diagnosis”

So sorry Frances!
It is the same to me – a house without a cat is not a home…but when my oldies go, cats have tp wait too…
It may be possible…but never with us – Deerhounds and Burmese don t go togehter..
But at least Wu had a soft way out-

What beautiful pictures of Wu. Happy Loki was not the cause. Cats can be very, very sneaky when they are ill. They hide symptoms like crazy. Sorry to hear you will catless for a period of time. Smart choice but not a fun one to make. Perhaps a quick cuddle with Lambie?

You must be so relieved that Loki is ‘in the clear’ and, with that diagnosis, there was nothing you could have done to change the outcome for Wu. You have all my sympathy. My cat died at the end of last year and I miss him so much but, like you, I wouldn’t dare risk a kitten or even an older cat with my dog. She had some respect for the cat but still chased him at times, always stopping short of actually attacking him. I wouldn’t trust her with a ‘strange’ one.

I’m so glad you were able to clear that up with your vet.
(But they’re animals and we can’t always control what their natures tell them to do – our dog gets bunnies – and we try to keep an eye on her – it breaks my heart, but we just do what we can, and love them unconditionally.)
RIP Wu

I’m glad you were able to know definitively the cause of Wu’s untimely death. Not that it makes it any easier.
It never occurred to me that Loki might actually harm Wu (other than chasing and scaring him). As another person who has always had a cat(s), I understand the difficulty of your decision. But St. Exupery was right.

I am fond of tuxedo cats. We had a cat named Marcus who was 17 and looked very much like Wu. He quickly lost weight and went downhill, the vet said he had pancreatitis (that they don’t know why it happens in cats) and liver failure. He passed quietly on Friday. I feel your pain.
I am glad Loki has been absolved of and guilt. I was pretty sure Loki hadn’t hurt Wu; you would have seen indications of trauma. Yes it is sometimes difficult to get our fur family persons to live amicably. Some just need to do whatever is in their nature.
Marcus used to be alpha cat and bite the neck of one of his brothers ( Oskar also a tuxedo cat) . It seems that Oskar actually misses Marcus and has gone around vocalizing and looking for him – go figure.

On another note. About your photos. A friend of mine puts her copyright symbol and name in the middle of the image across the picture so those wanting to copy it don’t have a clear picture. Just a thought.

When we lost our cat Clive, quite a few years ago now, I couldn’t stand the house without a cat. We had two dogs at the time and because our dogs had always lived with cats we got a kitten, called Molly. Molly had a lot of the same symptoms as Wu and we lost her at only 11 years old. One of our dogs was a terrier and when we first got him from the dogs home I thought I would be taking him back. We had three cats at the time and he would not stop chasing them. It took him 2 weeks and once he had “got it” with the cats he was marvellous and would have protected them with his life. No more dogs now, we had them for 16 years. We have got 3 cats again though, the latest being a rescued street cat that my husband brought home from work. She is still chasing our little female after a year, but we will all have to get on one way or another. P.S. They are beautiful photo’s of Wu.

So sorry for your loss of Wu! I lost my first standard poodle to hemangiosarcoma. One day he was absolutely fine hunting moles & mice in the paddock & the next day gone. They leave a huge hole in our hearts. They stay as long as they can but it’s never long enough!